Homeless, their caregivers testify at emotional Senate hearing

Sen. Angela Giron listens to testimony in Senate Committee Room 356 on SB11-004 about crimes against the homeless in Colorado. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)

The homeless and the people who care for them successfully implored lawmakers today to add homelessness as a category to Coloradoâ€™s hate-crime laws.

â€śHunting season for the homeless is a year-round event,â€ť said Vernon Lewis, a 38-year-old man who is homeless.

The bill sponsor, Sen. Lucia Guzman, D-Denver, said Colorado ranks fifth in the nation for the number of crimes against the homeless during a 10-year period.

â€śPersonally I think itâ€™s a civil rights issue,â€ť said Guzman, a minister.

After an emotional hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 5-4 in favor of the measure. It now goes to the Senate Finance Committee.

Critics raised several concerns about Senate Bill 4, saying the definition of homeless is so vague it includes “couch surfers,” the bill means more prison time for offenders and it could have an impact on homeless-on-homeless crime.

Both the Colorado District Attorneyâ€™s Council and the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar opposed the measure.

Currently under Colorado law, an individual can be charged with a bias-motivated crime if the crime was done because of the personâ€™s race, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation.

â€śThese are traits people are born into,â€ť said Tamar Wilson, with the district attorneyâ€™s council. â€śHomelessness is a situation, making that person vulnerable.â€ť

Tears flowed during the hearing.

Sen. Linda Newell, D-Littleton, who said she has been close to being homeless before, broke down several times. Chris Conner, an outreach case manager for Urban Peak, which helps homeless youths, momentarily was unable to continue when describing attacks on kids.

Even a bill opponent, Christie Donner, executive director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, sobbed when she testified against the measure. She said she felt bad opposing a measure that so many of her friends support.

But the majority of witnesses supported the measure.

Lisa Raville, executive director of the Harm Reducation Action Center, which provides education for injection drug users and their sexual partners, said the centerâ€™s homeless clients are at risk.

Clearly, this bill needs to be passed. The opposing reasons aren’t sufficient to kill the bill. Certainly the DA and police can decide whether charges should apply to sofa surfer and homeless upon homeless crime.

Worksusan

Clearly, this bill needs to be passed. The opposing reasons aren’t sufficient to kill the bill. Certainly the DA and police can decide whether charges should apply to sofa surfer and homeless upon homeless crime.

Worksusan

Clearly, this bill needs to be passed. The opposing reasons aren’t sufficient to kill the bill. Certainly the DA and police can decide whether charges should apply to sofa surfer and homeless upon homeless crime.

Mary

I’m guessing that it would be the DA who would decide whether the additional charge of hate crime would need to be added.

Mary

I’m guessing that it would be the DA who would decide whether the additional charge of hate crime would need to be added.

Worksusan

Clearly, this bill needs to be passed. The opposing reasons aren’t sufficient to kill the bill. Certainly the DA and police can decide whether charges should apply to sofa surfer and homeless upon homeless crime.

Kyussdad

Yet another protected class! When will this madness stop? A crime is a crime, why do we feel the need to say that a crime is more of a crime if it committed against a specific type of person? How about boosting enforcement of assaults and working on prevention of homelessness or get mental health treatment instead of making the homeless a protected class? I’m so frustrated with this concept of one type of person needs more protection under the law than another!

Will

Unfortunately during the past few years, the mental health system in this state has been gutted. There is no where for the mentally ill who do not have insurance to get care. They are brought into Denver in handcuffs from all over the state since many counties don’t have any facilities. Once released here, there is no where to go for treatment.

Kyussdad

Yet another protected class! When will this madness stop? A crime is a crime, why do we feel the need to say that a crime is more of a crime if it committed against a specific type of person? How about boosting enforcement of assaults and working on prevention of homelessness or get mental health treatment instead of making the homeless a protected class? I’m so frustrated with this concept of one type of person needs more protection under the law than another!

Will

Unfortunately during the past few years, the mental health system in this state has been gutted. There is no where for the mentally ill who do not have insurance to get care. They are brought into Denver in handcuffs from all over the state since many counties don’t have any facilities. Once released here, there is no where to go for treatment.

Sethburns

The biggest cause of homelessness is not mental health, alcoholism, or drug abuse… the biggest cause of homelessness is relationship problems.. trust me on this i am currently homeless…

Kyussdad

Yet another protected class! When will this madness stop? A crime is a crime, why do we feel the need to say that a crime is more of a crime if it committed against a specific type of person? How about boosting enforcement of assaults and working on prevention of homelessness or get mental health treatment instead of making the homeless a protected class? I’m so frustrated with this concept of one type of person needs more protection under the law than another!

Frank

This is absolutely ridiculous.

Frank

This is absolutely ridiculous.

Anonymous

The more logical reason for people assaulting the homeless is that they are easy target who are unlikely to defend themselves.

Anonymous

The more logical reason for people assaulting the homeless is that they are easy target who are unlikely to defend themselves.

Anonymous

The more logical reason for people assaulting the homeless is that they are easy target who are unlikely to defend themselves.

Lakewood Ed

What they do not address is the fact that it’s other homeless ‘persons’ who commit crimes against the homeless. These guys attack, and kill, each other with more frequency than non-homeless persons attacking them. So they want to place a hate crime status on crimes committed by their own group?

CAL

What evidence do you have to support this claim? Most research shows that the homeless are attacked by middle class white men in their teens to 20’s who are NOT homeless. Its beliefs like yours that perpetuate the idea that homeless people aren’t worth protections.

Rick

Obviously Cal does not live with homeless people.Lakewood Ed is correct. I live at Logan and Colfax. My wife will not go out at night because of them. We find them attempting to get on our porch. I watch at 8am the line form to get liquor at Denver Drug & Liquor (by way the store has to my mind never broken law). I get cussed at when ask them to leave private property. I get to see fornication, defecation daily on private property. They sit outside smoking pot, selling drugs. The Masonic Temple at Grant & 14th had to build fenced gated over steps. I do not care about research, reality is they are trash!!. Come spend week here in warm weather a see if you feel sorry for them. Why not make priests and ministers guilty of hate crime if they abuse (seems they like to do) children.

Lakewood Ed

What they do not address is the fact that it’s other homeless ‘persons’ who commit crimes against the homeless. These guys attack, and kill, each other with more frequency than non-homeless persons attacking them. So they want to place a hate crime status on crimes committed by their own group?

CAL

What evidence do you have to support this claim? Most research shows that the homeless are attacked by middle class white men in their teens to 20’s who are NOT homeless. Its beliefs like yours that perpetuate the idea that homeless people aren’t worth protections.

Rick

Obviously Cal does not live with homeless people.Lakewood Ed is correct. I live at Logan and Colfax. My wife will not go out at night because of them. We find them attempting to get on our porch. I watch at 8am the line form to get liquor at Denver Drug & Liquor (by way the store has to my mind never broken law). I get cussed at when ask them to leave private property. I get to see fornication, defecation daily on private property. They sit outside smoking pot, selling drugs. The Masonic Temple at Grant & 14th had to build fenced gated over steps. I do not care about research, reality is they are trash!!. Come spend week here in warm weather a see if you feel sorry for them. Why not make priests and ministers guilty of hate crime if they abuse (seems they like to do) children.

Seth Burns

you are wrong.. not all homeless people are like this… there are so man different ways you can become homeless i cant count them on both of my hands.. relationship problems and financial issues can cause homelessness too.. it’s the people that decide to do what you just depicted.. that make the good homeless look bad.. if the world where generous beyond measure and nothing was expected in return.. there would be no such thing as homelessness……

CAL

What evidence do you have to support this claim? Most research shows that the homeless are attacked by middle class white men in their teens to 20’s who are NOT homeless. Its beliefs like yours that perpetuate the idea that homeless people aren’t worth protections.

Lakewood Ed

What they do not address is the fact that it’s other homeless ‘persons’ who commit crimes against the homeless. These guys attack, and kill, each other with more frequency than non-homeless persons attacking them. So they want to place a hate crime status on crimes committed by their own group?

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.